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Tietjens: All Blacks Sevens need to be consistent and generate youth

James Mortimer 04 Feb 2013 Getty Images

While the All Blacks Sevens were unable to defend their Wellington title at the Hertz Sevens, with England eventually winning the crown, coach Gordon Tietjens was happy that a solid enough display enabled his team to extend their lead in the HSBC World Sevens Series.

The master coach has never denied how difficult it is too win during the increasingly competitive Sevens landscape, with Olympic inclusion ensuring that all nations are showing more strength.

This was a statement encapsulated with the All Blacks Sevens loss to Kenya.

The growing African nation, who have defeated New Zealand before, showed a clinical passing game that caught many nations, including Tietjen's troops, off guard.

Normally the All Blacks Sevens were that sort of team, with a 19 point win over an impressive Australia showing how good the home team could be.

Tietjens said to tvnz.co.nz and ONE Sport that accuracy was paramount.

"In sevens rugby, 50/50 passes are just not on at crucial times," Tietjens said.

"We had that game in the hand against Kenya and a couple of loose passes that went astray and a couple of missed tackles really cost us. That's probably the second or third time they've beaten us. They're an athletic side, they know the game and have a passion for the game and they're always very, very difficult.

"At times we've played very very well against them and yesterday should have been one of those times, but it wasn't. You have to applaud Kenya for that."

The multiple World Seven's Series winner and Commonwealth Games Gold Medal winning coach said that the unfolding theatre showed how close the competition is, and that it was important to essentially be there or there abouts.

"Obviously disappointing to lose," Tietjens said.

"We would love to have won our own tournament. It's a big tournament for us. But we increased our lead in the world series, so it wasn't all bad."

"It is about consistency, it's not about winning one tournament. You can win a world series and not win a tournament if you're there or thereabouts all the time. We've won one, we've had four tournaments and four different winners."

While the All Blacks Sevens defeated Australia, Tietjens said they were taking losses due to a view to the long term picture of building depth.

"Look at Australia now," Tietjens said.

"They're 19-years-old, 20-years-old and are looking at the bigger picture. They're not doing too well at the moment in the world series (but) you've got to keep building the numbers and bringing in younger players."

"We're moving through to 2016. It's building depth and having a lot of players that are available.